


through another's eyes

by thomaspaine



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, M/M, kagehina if you squint, more gen than shippy, study on karasuno team dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-11 08:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10460478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thomaspaine/pseuds/thomaspaine
Summary: the little giant watches from afar





	

the small giant watches from afar. he almost wants to laugh, because karasuno has changed so much and yet so little.

 

they still attack with wild abandon, with nothing behind them, just a prayer on their lips that the spike will go through. that has not changed, perhaps it never will.

 

however, there is something markedly different about his old team. he can’t remember his team ever trusting each other that much. sure, they trusted each other to spike, toss and receive, but never in the wholehearted way he sees the team trust each other. he can’t remember not having the weight of the team on his shoulders because he was the  _ ace _ , and it was his job to fly.

 

he was always flying alone, up against the largest mountains. but this karasuno? they fly,  _ together _ , fighting to the top.

 

the game begins. he sees the dark haired setter toss up in the air, concentration evident on his face. out of nowhere comes a tiny first year, nothing but an orange blur on the court. he jumps- no,  _ flies _ and slams the ball down on the other side before the other team can even react. he watches him celebrate, hollering at the setter, and he smiles.

 

the game continues. he watches karasuno fight for every point, struggling against an opponent far stronger than they are. but it is  _ karasuno _ , and what they lack in skill, they have in spirit, vowing to fight until the end. he watches their captain and libero make receive after receive, never hesitating. he watches the ace and the wing spiker spike again and again, never faltering, even when they are blocked. he watches the setter toss again and again, the strain shown on his face, but never backing down. he watches the blond middle blocker dislocate his finger blocking a spike, only to come back, never slipping up. but most of all, he watches the orange-haired middle blocker, running for spikes again and again, flying higher and higher, never coming down.

 

the game ends. he watches the libero receive a spike, the wing spiker and ace connecting it to the setter. he watches the setter toss it up, watches every player sprint for the ball as if it is theirs, but he knows who the ball belongs to. it is the tiny middle blocker’s, the one who flies the highest. he leaps into the air, far above the blockers and time almost stops. he slams the ball down, watches the other team leap for the receive, watches the ball roll away. listens to the whistle of the referee ending the game, watches shiratorizawa break, watches karasuno erupt into cheers. the libero and wing spiker rip off their shirts and the manager smiles to herself, secretly watching the wing spiker. the ace, reserve setter and captain are clutching each other in a huddle, tears streaming down their face. even the tall middle blocker smiles softly at the pinch server and pulls him in for a hug. the tiny middle blocker leaps into the arms of the dark-haired setter, both grinning, and presses their smiles together, relishing the moment. the small giant smiles, thinking that he never could’ve loved a teammate ( _ akiteru _ , his traitorous mind reminds him, but that is a story for another day.)

  
this karasuno, he thinks, is exceptional.


End file.
